Risto Öörni

Road Weather Information Service in Finland

Road weather information services are provided to road users to improve their safety and mobility. In Finland, the information on current and forecasted road weather has been available to road users since the 1990s and along with developments in technology and service provision, the quality of the information provided to the road users has improved over time. While the overall successfulness of the road weather information service has been analyzed during several recent winter seasons, the impact of the improved service quality on the socio-economical benefits of the service has not been analyzed. The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between the changes in service quality and the socio-economical benefits. The focus of the various elements of service quality was set on the veracity of the information, which is defined as the error probability in this case. The service benefits were quantified on the basis of the relationship between service output and behavioral reaction-related impacts on safety. In addition, the costs of the service were described at two levels of service quality.

Liberalised public procurement of ict services for schools: An empirical case from finland

The aim of this research was to evaluate the new procurement practices of information and communication technology (ICT) services in Finnish-speaking schools in the City of Kauniainen. In the new model, schools define their needs and school administration mandates the procurement through tendering. The research included a review of the problems associated with procurement practices and the assessment of the procurement model. The results show that service levels have been improved and unit costs as well as the environmental load have been reduced. The new model requires the schools to have the skills and expertise to define their needs and the competencies to prepare and execute the procurement process. The case analysis of the Finnish “Dream School” in Kauniainen shows that administrative and governance aspects are equally important in successful deployment of technology.